Ivan and Lucina had teamed with Joe Proctor to promote at least seven smaller parties downtown. They had not made anywhere near what Ivan and Lucina planned to make that night, but they were still profitable events.

Ivan told him, “It’s all about strategies, man. If we help you out, you help us out, and vice versa.”

Joe nodded to him. He asked, “So, what do I need to pay to get in on one of your parties?” That was a more detailed question, one that Ivan needed more focus to answer.

He said, “Give me a call this week and we’ll talk about it.” A few other promoter friends were enjoying themselves in the VIP section as well. It was a perk Ivan would utilize to keep their loyalty to him.

Joe said, “By the way, man, that’s a nice new watch you got there.”

Ivan looked down at his handsome Rolex and smiled.

“Thanks, man. It took me a lot to decide to finally break down and buy it. But you only live in this world once, right?”

“That’s what they say,” Joe agreed.

Ivan said, “So, you may as well bling, just a little bit, whenever you get a chance to do it. As long as it don’t hurt you too bad.”

AT THE END OF THE NIGHT, the Eve and Busta Rhymes party fell just short of the fifty-thousand-dollar goal. The late price increase after Busta’s arrival allowed them to get close. But they would net less than half of it. The payout for the party was nearly thirty thousand, including Julio’s fee.

“Now they’re gonna want to hang out and eat and shit, like vampires, but I’m tired,” Ivan told Lucina with a chuckle. It was ten minutes to shutdown at 2 AM.

Lucina smiled and said, “Ivan, that’s what you have to do in this business, especially when dealing with stars. You can’t go back to being an early bird.”

Ivan said, “Well, maybe I’ll just let you hang out with them. That’ll make me more of a mystery man, right?”

“No, it’ll make you rude,” Lucina warned him.

“Well, we’ll just play it all by ear. Maybe they might want to do their own thing,” Ivan suggested. “Somebody needs to take this money home, anyway. And I live down here now.”

Lucina shook it off with a grin. “We’ll see, Ivan.”

He really wanted to get out of there to see if Ashley would call him back in thirty minutes, like he had told her to. He had some more private plans for them that evening.

When they all walked out to shut down the party at two o’clock in the morning, Busta’s crew were ready to take off and enjoy themselves. A pack of pretty girls surrounded them outside in front of their cars, with security still on a careful watch.